Lemon Love

Being well into our citrus season, I am taking advantage of all the different fruits available to us. A typical day means a walk to the orchard to pick an orange or tangerine or kumquat from a tree. However, this year, my Lisbon lemon tree did not produce anything. I am so grateful to neighbors for their lemon contributions to me. So today’s post is about lemon love and all the recipes I love making with these gorgeous yellow gems.

Eureka and Lisbon lemons grow well here in Phoenix. Meyer Lemons, with their thinner skins and less tart flavor are harder to come by. But now is the time to use all the fresh lemons, because at least here, once the season is over, lemons get very expensive. Plus, can’t we all use a little more Vitamin C?

Since I am on a lemon-make-all-you-can now mode, here are my favorite lemon recipes with lots of lemon love.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

The very first time these delicate pancakes passed my lips, I was at the dreamy Shutters on the Beach restaurant in Santa Monica, California. Every time I taste these, I am back at the beachfront restaurant smelling the ocean air.

So the recipe I use is actually from this restaurant and can be found in The Summertime Anytime cookbook by Dana Slatkin. For the full post with recipe and yummy pictures, click here.

Joann’s Lemon Cake

My sweet friend and art instructor, Joann shares her DELICIOUS lemon cake recipe. What makes this loaf cake special, is the lemon syrup that gets absorbed into the cake after baking. Similar to a pound cake with lots of lemon flavor, this is perfect for dessert or with coffee or tea.

For the recipe and more detailed instructions, click here.

Lemon Curd

Prompted by a request from my neighbor, Karleen, I decide to make lemon curd. Lemon curd is a fruit spread and is often used instead of jam on scones or toast. It can also be a filling for cakes, small pastries and tarts. The lemon filling in a lemon meringue pie is lemon curd.

Since it doesn’t keep as well as jam, it is generally made in small quantities.

With only a few ingredients (eggs, lemons, butter, sugar), you too can whip this up in a short period of time. And it tastes WAY better than store bought lemon curd. Now I need to make some scones! Recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction is found here.

Lemon Blueberry Bread~gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free

Who doesn’t love the combination of lemons and fresh blueberries? Using coconut and almond flour, this loaf is easy to make. The berry icing is just so tasty on top. The recipe is from Ambitious Kitchen and you can find the blog post with further instructions here.

Freshly made Lemonade with a twist

Everyone loves fresh lemonade but have your tried it with other flavors? This Basil Lemonade is a family favorite. The addition of basil simple syrup takes the taste up a notch!

The blog post also includes strawberry lemonade, which is especially delicious on a hot summer’s day. See it all here.

Limoncello

Limoncello is a lemon liquor which is mainly produced in southern Italy. It is typically served chilled and after dinner as an aperitif. If you have a lot of lemons (this recipe uses 11), you may want to try this. And I wonder if this recipe counts as getting your daily dosage of Vitamin C…..See post here.

Farfalle Pasta with Lemon Chicken and Herb Salad

I know I mention Preserved Lemons ALOT, but this is one of my favorite ways to use them (thanks for my friend, Kim for the recipe). With a new batch of preserved lemons in the refrigerator, it will be very soon when I can make this again. The fresh greens, chicken, pasta and those luscious preserved lemon morsels will be a guaranteed hit at the family dinner table.

Recipe for both the pasta dish and lemons is here.

Benefits of Lemon Water

If you don’t feel like cooking or baking, now is the time to take advantage of fresh lemons. Here are the top 10 reasons why you should be drinking lemon water according to PositiveMed.

• Boosts your immune system
• Balances pH
• Helps with weight loss
• Aids in Digestion
• Diuretic
• Clears skin
• Freshens breath
• Relieves respiratory congestion (use warm water)
• Keeps you Zen
• Help kicks the coffee habit

I am hoping you are excited about these recipes, as there are even more in older blog posts. Yesterday, I made a batch of Meyer Lemon Marmalade (my absolute favorite) and will be spreading that on a piece of my Lemon Rosemary Gruyere sourdough bread today.

Have a blessed Wednesday!

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This post shared with Thursday Favorite Things #476.